Why Practice Mindfulness?

Practice Mindfulness daily to improve health, focus and a sense of well-being. So what is this miracle practice? Mindfulness means clearing our minds of distractions by maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. It means being present in the “here and now”. Mindfulness also involves self-acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.

Though it has its roots in Buddhist meditation, a secular practice of mindfulness has entered the mainstream in recent years because of the research and writings of Jon Kabat-Zinn and his Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, which he launched at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979. Since that time, thousands of studies have documented the physical and mental health benefits of mindfulness in general and reduction in stress and anxiety in particular.